Growth-promoting feed supplements and methods of producing them



GROWTH-PROMOTING FEED SUPPLEMENTS AND ll/IETHODS F PRODUCING THEM George Wilson Anderson and Stanley James Slinger, Guelph, Ontario, Canada No Drawing. Application August 3, 1953, Serial No. 372,193

Claims priority, application Canada August 9, 1952 2 Claims. (Cl. 99- 4) This invention relates to growth promoting feed supplements and methods of producing them.

In accordance with one aspect of this invention growth promoting feed supplements are produced by incorporating in a carrier a culture of a growth promoting microorganism, for example a culture of a growth promoting bacteria such as aculture of E. coli and a culture of atypical coli. Such feed supplements when administered to animals such as fowl results in a marked growth promoting elfect.

In accordance with another aspect of this invention, feed supplements of especially high growth promoting activity are produced by combining a culture of a growth promoting microorganism and a non-nutrient, nonbacteri-al growth promoting substance. Such supplements effect a significantly higher growth promoting activity than the growth promoting effects of either component. Preferably such supplements also include a carrier for relatively easy addition to the feed.

The non-nutrient, non-bacterial growth promoting substance which forms one of the components in accordance with the second aspect of this invention, is preferably an antibiotic such as penicillin, terramycin, aureomycin, or bacitracin, although it may be any other nonnutrient, non-bacterial growth promoting substance such as arsenical compounds, for example, arsenilic acid, sodium arsenilate, 3 nitro 4 hydroxypheny-larsonic acid; or surface active agents, such as lauryl alcohol and ethylene oxide condensates. Conveniently the antibiotic may be a derivative of the antibiotic itself, such as a derivative of penicillin, for example procaine penicillin.

The carrier employed in the feed supplements of this invention may be soy bean meal, corn meal or other ground cereal, charcoal, fullers earth, oyster shells, and the like. Alternatively, the carrier may be a liquid such as physiological saline solution or a nutrient medium. The concentration of the active growth promoting components of the vfeed supplements is desirably such that 5 lbs. or less of such supplements are eflective in treating one ton of feed stuff.

A more comprehensive understanding of this invention is obtained by reference to the following examples:

The microorganisms fed in the typical examples were isolated from the caecal contents of chicks and grown as pure cultures on suitable media of well known character. Twenty-four hour old cultures were mixed with the feed daily at a level of of the diet. The numher of viable cells fed each day was estimated 'by the dilution and plate count method. The M. P. N. method was used for tube cultures. An attempt was made to maintain the following number of cells per inoculum daily-atypical E. coli strain 5X10"; atypical E. coli strain 5x10 E. coli 5Xl0 Exampl 1 In this experiment, four pens of chickens were fed on the following basal diet:

2,809,112 Patented Oct. 8, 1957 Ingredient per 100 pounds Ground yellow cor lbs 60. Soybeans oil meal (44%) lbs 33.0 Dehydrated cereal grass lbs 2. 0 Limestone lbs 0. 5 lbS 3. 25 lbs 0. 25 lbs 0.25

m 150 Niacin mg 900 C9. pantothenat 300 Vitamin Bu 0. 2 Choline chloride (25%) 70 Potassium iodide Manganese sulfate (tech) 1 In addition, the chickens in each pen received either a nutrient medium or the same medium inoculated with atypical E. coli which was added the the basal diet. Procaine penicillin G was added to the diet of the chickens in two of the pens in an amount of 10 parts per million parts of diet.

Fifteen chickens in each pen (five per day at 2 day interval) were sacrificed from each group, at the end of a 5 week experimental period. Bacteriological analyses and pH determinations were carried out on the caecal contents of these birds.

The results of this testing were as follows:

Results at 5 wks.

Pen No. Treatment wt F d/ gm. ee

Gain

1 Basal-l-Nutricnt Broth (N. B.) 508 2.10 2 Basal+N. B.+Atypical E. coli 1 509 2.14 3 Basal-I-N. B.+Procaine Penicillin G 520 2.16 4 Basal-l-N. B.+Atypical E. coli 616 2.12

Procaine Penicillin G.

An experiment similar to that described in Example 1 was conducted simultaneously. The procedure followed in this example was the same, except that atypical E. coli was employed instead of atypical E. coli The results of this experiment with atypical E. coli are shown in the following table:

Results at 5 wks.

Pen No. Treatment wt. (gm.) Feed/ Gain Basal+N. B 508 2.10 Basal+N. B.+Atypical E. coli 2 555 2. 14 Basal+N. B.+Procaine Penicillin G 520 2.16 Basal-i-N. B.+Atypical E. colt 571 2.12

Procaine Penicillin G.

This strain was found to produce an abnormal greenmetallic sheen, fermented sucrose slowly, produced no gas with rhamnose and gave the standard Imvics reaction. This strain when fed alone caused growth significantly better than the control diet. The feeding of this strain along with penicillin resulted in a weight highly significantly greater than the basal diet and significantly better than that of the group receiving only penicillin.

3 Examples In this example, typical E. coli was used. The procedure followed herein was identical with that of Example 1. The results obtained with E. coli are shown in the 7 Example 4 In this experiment of a mixed culture of the 2 atypical strains of E. coli and E. coli were used.

newest Ground wheat lbs l Ground corn Kb M Niacin Vitamin B12 supplement Manganese sulfate (tech) .g.

Total -lbs The following table shows the effect of feeding a mixed coliform culture and a culture of E. coli:

In addition, other groups received 10% of the filtrate or Results at weeks 0M 8 the cells equivalent to 10% of the culture. v p p t g The elfect of a mixed coliform culture and the filtrate Pen Treatment Wt. Wt. Wt. Feed/ on growth 1s shown In the following table: (gm) (g (am) Ga Results at 5 wks. Basal+N. B 516 420 468 1. s3 Basal-l-N. B.+Penlcl1lin. 717 597 657 1. 68 Pen No, Treatment Basa1+N. B.+Mixed C01- 472 436 454 1.98 wt. (gm.) Feed/ Basal+N. B.+Mixed C01. 751 628 690 1.72

Gain +Penicillin.

1a Basal+N.B.+E.coli 559 532 545 1.85 14 Basal-l-N. B.+E. coli+ 697 e42 670 1.67 Basal+N. B 43s 2. a5 Penicillin. Basal+N. B.+Procaine Penicillin (3-. 484 2. 20 Basal-l-N. B.+Co1iiorms 475 2.30

Basal-l-N. B.+Procaine Penicillin G 487 2.20

+Col1iorms. The weight date for males and females were analyzed Basal-l-filtrate 424 2.19 1 h T Au Basal-l-filtrate+Penicillin 500 2.24 T'PF Y uslPg t testlets Col-"11531111118 P P clllm gave weights significantly better than the basal diet.

Example 5 In the experiment there is shown the eflFect of feeding the cells of the mixed coliform culture on the growth of chicks. The results of this experiment are shown in the following table:

Results at 5 wks.

Pen No. Treatment wt. (gm.) Feed/ Gain In this case neither the penicillin, the cells or a mixture resulted in a significant growth response. However, when feed efficiency is also considered it would appear that all treatments tended to give a favorable response. As a result of this experiment it would appear that the activity of bacterial cultures may be attributed in part to a factor or factors in the filtrate and in part to the cells themselves.

Example 6 In a further experiment Broad Breasted Bronze poults of mixed sexes were fed certain of these same cultures.

The basal diet used in this work was a practical turkey Starting diet adequate in known nutrients and was as follows:

The feeding of E. coli alone caused an increase in weight which was highly significant in the females. The diet containing the mixed culture plus penicillin gave superior growth to that containing penicillin alone; again indicating an interaction between the bacterial culture and the antibiotic.

Example 7 This experiment shows the efiect of feeding mixed coliform cells on growth of poults.

Results at 4 weeks of age Pen N 0. Treatment Wt. Wt. Wt. Feed] (e m) Gain Basal 524 458 491 1.92 Basal+PenlcilJln 696 593 645 1. 71 Basal-l-living cells 445 476 461 l. 95 Basfil+llving cells-l-Peni- 745 595 669 1. 67

c in. Basal+dead cells 493 478 485 1. 91 Basfilj-dead cells+Peni- 666 605 636 1. 69

c in.

All diets containing penicillin gave weights significantly better than the basal diet. The living cells alone caused a significant growth depression in the males, but in the presence of penicillin resulted in growth in males superior to that obtained with penicillin alone. This suggests interaction between the living cells and the antibiotic. No

' interaction is apparent between the dead cells and the antibiotic. The filtrate in this experiment did not cause growth response.

What is claimed is:

1. A growth promoting supplement for a nutritionally adequate poultry feed comprising a dry, solid carrier, an antibiotic selected from the group consisting of penicillin and procaine penicillin, and an efiective amount of a culture of a viable growth-promoting microorganism selected from the group consisting of Escherichia coli, an

atypical of Escherichia coli, and mixtures thereof.

2 The method of producing a growth promoting sup- References Cited in the file of this patent plement for a nutritionally adequate poultry feed which UNITED STATES PATENTS comprises incorporating in a dry, solid carrier an antibiotic selected from the group consisting of penicillin and 2,447,814 Novak g- 1943 procaine penicillin, and an efiective amount of a culture 5 2,482,055 Duggal' p 1949 Of a Viable growth-promoting microorganism selected 216361823 36025 P 1953 from the group consisting of Escherichia coli, an atypical OTHER REFERENCES of Escherichia Cali and mixtures thereof Romoser et al.: Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. and Med., May

10 1953, 83, pages 17-21. 

1. A GROWTH PROMOTING SUPPLEMENT FOR A NUTRITIONALLY ADEQUATE POULTRY FEED COMPRISING A DRY, SOLID CARRIER, AND ANTIBIOTIC SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PENICILLIN AND PROCAINE PENICILLIN, AND AN EFFECTIVE AMOUNT OF A CULTURE OF A VIABLE GROWTH-PROMOTING MICROORGANISM SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ESCHERICHIA COLI, AN ATYPICAL OF ESCHERICHIA COLI, AND MIXTURES THEREOF. 